The best-known Romantic fiction, Frankenstein was written by:
Lord Byron
Mary Keats
Maximillian Robespierre
Mary Shelly
The correct answer and explanation is :
The correct answer is Mary Shelley.
Mary Shelley, the author of Frankenstein, wrote the novel during the summer of 1816, which was famously known as the “Year Without a Summer” due to the volcanic eruption of Mount Tambora in Indonesia. This eruption caused a global climate anomaly that led to cold, gloomy weather. Shelley, along with her husband, the poet Percy Bysshe Shelley, and Lord Byron, were staying in a villa near Lake Geneva in Switzerland when the idea for Frankenstein came about. They passed the time by reading ghost stories and challenging each other to write their own supernatural tales. It was during this time that Mary Shelley conceived the idea for her novel.
Frankenstein, often regarded as one of the earliest examples of science fiction, tells the story of Victor Frankenstein, a scientist who creates a monstrous creature in an unorthodox scientific experiment. The novel delves into themes of unchecked ambition, isolation, the pursuit of knowledge, and the consequences of scientific exploration.
The Romantic period, in which Mary Shelley wrote, was a movement that emphasized individualism, the sublime, emotion, and the questioning of traditional societal norms. These elements are reflected throughout Frankenstein, particularly through the character of Victor Frankenstein, who is driven by a desire to transcend human limitations and achieve god-like control over life and death. At the same time, the novel critiques the hubris of such an ambition and the resulting alienation and suffering.
Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein continues to be a timeless and influential work in literature, contributing significantly to both the Gothic genre and the development of modern science fiction. It remains a powerful exploration of the darker side of human nature and the dangers of overreaching ambition.